Rare 1857 Braided Hair Penny Errors (List & Pictures)
The last Braided Hair cents are large copper coins with Liberty’s portrait, not the small Flying Eagle cents also dated 1857. That identity matters before comparing any apparent mint mistake.
These 1857 Braided Hair penny errors have estimated whole-coin values of $75–$15,000. An N-3 Proof sold for $11,162.50 in January 2013, mainly reflecting the rare collector coin and its preservation rather than a price assigned to faint die cracks.
1. 1857 Penny Another 18 Appears below the Date: Misplaced Date Error
The N-1 Large Date variety has the tops of an extra 18 among the border teeth below the main 18. The date punch touched the die too low before the intended date was completed.
How to Identify
The 2020 cataloged N-1 example provides the location of both fragment tops. Keep the entire Large Date visible so the normal numerals and their spacing can be checked together.
Compare the raised fragments with a normal border rather than naming every uneven tooth as a digit. Cuts through the teeth or attached lumps are different features.
A normal Braided Hair cent is about 10.89 grams and 27.5 millimeters across, with a plain edge. The much smaller Flying Eagle cent’s measurements do not apply.
What It’s Worth
$75–$5,000 is an estimate across worn and high-quality unworn N-1 coins. The extra 18 is part of the variety’s identity, not a fixed-dollar addition.
The cataloged example is MS65 Brown, but no realized price from that appearance is used here. Its condition should not be transferred to a worn coin with the same tiny digits.
2. 1857 Penny Small Bumps or Faint Lines Identify the Die: Chips and Cracks Error
The ordinary N-1 Large Date has a raised bump behind Liberty’s neck below the earlobe and another on C in AMERICA. Tiny missing die pieces allowed copper to fill those openings.
The separate N-3 Small Date Proof has faint star-to-portrait cracks instead. These two sets of marks identify different dies and finishes.
How to Identify
For N-1, compare both the neck and C chips with the misplaced-date coin’s reference. The chips and extra 18 can belong to one specimen.
For N-3, trace the third-star line toward the nose, the fifth-star line toward the crown, and the lower-curl line toward star thirteen and the rim. Their faint raised form differs from a deep scratch in a similar location.
Identify Proof manufacture separately and leave certified pieces sealed. Shine on an ordinary coin does not establish the specially prepared collector finish.
What It’s Worth
$75–$5,000 is an estimate for ordinary N-1 coins with the identifying chips, while suitable N-3 Proofs compare around $3,000–$15,000. The NGC PR66 Brown N-3 sold for $11,162.50 in January 2013.
That result values a high-quality Proof as a complete coin. A small neck chip on an ordinary cent cannot give it the Proof’s identity or five-figure price.
3. 1857 Penny The Original Blank Has a Missing Section: Clip Error
A genuine clip exists before striking, so the design forms beside an incomplete edge. A piece cut from a finished penny can create a similar outline with different boundary clues.
How to Identify
Confirm the large-cent design and readable 1857 date before studying the gap. No particular clip shape or clock position is established for every candidate.
Inspect both junctions where the struck rim meets the missing section. Saw marks, file grooves, or metal pushed over finished detail suggest later damage.
A lower weight is consistent with missing copper, but both original clips and later cuts remove metal. Opposite-rim weakness can support a curved clip without being required in every case.
What It’s Worth
$100–$1,500 is an estimate for an authenticated, dated 1857 large-cent clip. It is not a sale assigned to a specific reported specimen.
An 1852 Braided Hair clip graded MS63 Brown by NGC sold for $384 in June 2024. That unworn same-series coin provides context, while the 1857 candidate still needs its own edge and condition assessment.
4. 1857 Penny An Unused Crescent Sits beside an Incomplete Picture: Off-Center Strike Error
A misplaced blank can receive only part of the design. The remaining solid copper stays unstruck on the opposite side.
How to Identify
Read 1857 on the actual large cent before assigning a year-specific value. A dateless coin described only as part of the 1839–1857 series does not establish the final year.
Compare both faces at the same size to see whether missing design and unused metal fit one misplaced blank. A complete design with an uneven border is a different observation, including on a Proof.
Inspect the bare area and edge for grinding that removed completed detail. An off-center strike can change the outline without removing the copper that missed the design.
What It’s Worth
$500–$5,000 is an estimate for a genuine dated example with different displacement and preservation. It does not assign an 1857 price to a dateless series-wide specimen.
A worn 1855 Upright 5s cent struck 70% off center sold for $1,092.50 in January 2009. Its complete date identifies that earlier coin, while an uneven rim on an 1857 Proof would not make the same comparison.
Conclusion
Begin with a large copper body, a readable date, and the correct ordinary or Proof identity. N-1’s small chips and misplaced 18 are features of the same coin, while N-3’s faint cracks belong to a separate collector issue.
For a clip or off-center candidate, demand evidence from the original boundary and surviving design. Tiny die markers can identify a variety without adding a separate error price to its whole-coin value.
